Monthly Archives: July 2009

Demand But Low Supply

Posted on by
Reply

One of the most rewarding experiences about writing a book, has been the support I have found from people all over the world. I began my building up of my profile on Facebook and soon moved into the other social networks, to give everyone an idea of what was to come. The response to be honest has been overwhelming and just for example, I have people who I have never met in person who have joined my page and become fans. Its a heartwarming experience as you see the fan list grow and you receive messages from people wishing you luck, and also expressing their excitement as the publishing date moves closer. The release of my book the first in the series of Heirs to the Kingdom was to be a wonderful moment, and sure enough as I saw my own work  in print the excitement was to say the least, explosive and tearful. But the honeymoon does not last, and what was a moment I will never forget, has now become a battle of pure frustration.

From the moment you publish, you become caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. On one hand you have the plight of local and independent bookshops, and the large chains, then of course you have the on-lines such as Amazon. If you favour one more than other you are in trouble. I built a web site to promote my books, this Blog is actually a part of it as the name across the top of the page shows. The site went live on May 1st 2009, it was half built, but the book was out and we watched as the site began to get hit. I had after all loaded it with extra facts and been shrewd enough to let all the social network sites know it was out there. There are adverts for Amazon, and also across many of the pages, there are little messages that show a large amount of support for all the local and independent shops. I use twitter a lot as it is a great way of letting the whole world know what the book is about and also where it is available, and yes I do mention Amazon, and my publishers outlet as well as trying to encourage local shops, and I also mention the website.

I feel that the coverage given to all parties is fair, as an Author I want bookshops to thrive and I have been an avid supporter of local shops all over the place for years, I have a huge collection of books from which a very large percentage are from local shops, I also have a good few from the larger book chains and I also buy online. I feel I have spread the wealth to everyone, in a bid to be fair and supportive to all. But you know what?  Its impossible to be seen as fair by any. Its frustrating and to be quite honest, dam well annoying. I mentioned Amazon on twitter and the indie bookshops cancelled their follow, why is it such a crime to show equal respect to all?

I have had over 125 thousand hits on the web site in the first two months, that’s more than I ever dreamed of.  These are all people who have taken the time to log in and look at the book because they are interested in buying it. Previous Blogs on this site have stated my experiences with local bookshops and the general book industry, but today I was told that unless I back my book with huge figures for advertising then there is really no hope of me ever getting my book on a shelf of a chain or a local bookshop. It just boggles my mind and leaves me lost for words. I have a web site that is being hit by a world full of people who want the book. 70% of them at the moment are UK based, and yet even though there is a demand to read my work, I still cannot get it on a shelf. I have to ask. Does this make sense to anyone out there, because if it does would you please explain it to me?

I have worked 24/7 for two months flat since the book was released and have been relatively successful, I mean in all honesty I know the Bowman of Loxley will not make the best sellers list.  Still there is a demand that would make a substantial difference to recouping the expense of all the printing costs and also the amount of IT software I have purchased to promote the book. Yet the shelves remain empty of the violet spine of my work, and the one company that has supported me, who to be honest I have used least in the past is that of Amazon, who lets be frank, has taken it’s fair share of digs over the years.  I hold up my hands because I cannot fault them, they did stock the book and they have sold copies. The locals who I have supported as you already know, have been far less than helpful, it does make me wonder how many really wonderful books are out there not being sold as their authors are self published or new. All the joy of having so many people who have read and adored my book has been tainted by the knowledge that all over this planet are those who want to read it, but never will as the bookshop does not stock it.

I read the publishing press that is screaming for more book sales and I am lost for words and frustrated beyond belief. If you have a solution or a suggestion then please you tell me, because for now I feel after two long hard years of work, I have ended up dead in the water through no fault of my own. There is a demand for The Bowman of Loxley, the social networks are talking about it, but those people are being denied a chance to purchase. I have emailed and written in vain to the large chains, their silence is unbearable, at  least the locals just say no your a risk, I don’t like it, but it’s honest.

I have no choice but to continue and fight for those who want to read what I write and no doubt here on this site which has more views than I have sales, hopefully I will be able to tell you all of what it is like being a new writer in this strange world…. please call back and find out.

We can only Read if we have the shops.

Posted on by
5

I was saddened today to read about the closure of another local bookshop. Lost in Fiction was a relatively new book shop opening its doors last September to the people of Glasgow, yet it will now have to close very soon, They posted that they were finding it hard to meet their costs, and a result they are forced to close. I grew up in a town that had a few bookshops and for me they were wonderful places of adventure and fantasy, I love the smell of all those new books on the shelves and the row after row of spines in every colour of the rainbow, painting a scene like a bar code of utter delight. It is heartbreaking  that today my home town has no bookshop, and I cannot help but feel that because of it, many of the people where I live are missing out.

As a writer it is sadder that I will never see my book on the selves of a bookshop in my own town, and because of the high costs of now running a shop I am sure we will lose what I consider to be the treasures of our high streets. I am at this moment trying very hard to get my book ‘The Bowman of Loxley’ onto the shelves of bookshops locally and nationally, and to be honest it is a hugely difficult task, it is not helped by the fact that in the publishing press there are those who hype up each change in a publishers situation and I do think that some of the hype is damaging our wonderful bookshop tradition. Many of the shops I have spoken to are under huge pressure brought on already by the economics of the world, It is something as an ex shop owner I understand, although with myself it was a Garden shop. Being on the high street and the markets I have seen the change in the way that people are spending their money, and there is no doubt that people have a lot less than five years ago, but the thing that has been highlighted more than anything to me is the rise in rents and rates of local premises.

Most new business can not afford the mind blowing costs of a shop, and those who have supported us as customers for years are feeling the pinch as they struggle against what is an overwhelming series of costs. Local government has done very little for small business except hit it harder and harder, the hype in the media about current financial pressures of our governments is adding to the pressure, and to be quite frank, as a writer trying to self promote a book, its an overwhelming task as bookshops are now cutting back and going for what are seen to be money earners. I am a new writer and not seen yet as worthy of stocking as I do not have the reputation of the JK’s and Dan Browns. I feel it will take me far longer than I ever thought to get my book in every fiction section across the country, if ever?

I cannot blame the local shops for not stocking a new writer with no reputation, they now are under such pressure that every inch of their shelves has to count in a big attempt to face those overwhelming costs, but what I can say here and now is this. If like myself you love reading, then consider the delights you have had all your lives going into these wonderful little places and eyeing the shelves with joy. The next time you want a book, then do your best to visit yours, because if you don’t you may find the closed sign up permanently and the window empty the next time you visit. You may pay a little more for the book than your local supermarket, but a good bookshop is worth it. They are an important part of our heritage as a big reading nation, over the years long before the supermarkets became interested in cornering the market, it was the local bookshop that filled you with joy, made you weep on occasion and carried your imagination into lost worlds and new realms of adventure. Just think of the delight you have had in your life, and reward those who gave it you when you were younger. Each time a bookshop closes, your town will lose a small part of its identity, so please take it from someone who has shared that wonder, and give them your support.

Never forget that your local supermarket may be cheap, but you will never find that little literary treasure in there, I know of so many amazing and life changing books that could only ever be found in that small specialist bookshop with comfy corners and staff who cared about the written word and about providing you with those pearls of wonder. A really great book from a local shop will cost a few extra pounds, but just think back for a moment and remember those cherished moments we have all shared curled up somewhere at home or on holiday lost in the pages of a magical story. It really is food for thought…

Living with the characters.

Posted on by
Reply

I have been asked several times recently about the characters that I have written in the book. I have had some very lovely comments about how real they feel, and how most people have been able to identify with them. The obvious question is also asked many times. “Are they real living people that they have all been based on?”

I find it quite a difficult question to answer, a straight forward “No” does not really answer the question truthfully, but no one character is based on any one person. So in a bid to explain my method here I am writing a new instalment of the Blog.

I cannot speak for other writers, as the few that I know work in ways I do not understand, I can only give my own view on the subject as my own method does not appear to make a lot of sense to other writers either. In the first instance I knew the basic outline of the story so I had a list of important ingredients that would be essential to the story. I listed the ages and sex and obvious moods and characteristics, I knew their working environments so then I had an idea of dress. In many cases I felt the level of education of each character, and also the subjects they may have encountered would be important. This story was to be set in the future after the end of what we call the modern world. It made sense that apart from a quick brushing over, much of modern life today would be forgotten or not taught, after all the way of life of the characters in most cases within the confines of Book One, would be in a survival from the land situation. From my own point of view, it would be pointless teaching in any detail the fundamentals of Cars,planes and so forth. In that kind of environment it would be a quick lesson of, that’s a horse and that’s a cart, you can ride the horse, but if you want to move stuff, hitch the cart on, lesson over.

With each parameter defined I then applied what I call the subtle detail, and its here that some of my fellow writers thought I was mad to create so much extra work. I formatted a basic sheet on the computer that I could print off with relevant personal details. I listed date of birth, name, height, build, eye and hair colour, and hair length, I then added a few extras like style of clothing and accents, I put on the jewellery and maybe the weapons they would carry, and added other random stuff and a small biography of their attitudes and like and dislikes. I suppose it became similar to how I would write a composite of someone I already know quite well.

It was a long task, but the end result was a neatly typed sheet, slid into the obligatory plastic sleeve and filed in the family groups to sit neatly on the desk at the side of my PC. Once again maybe I am a little bit of a perfectionist, I have no idea, I just know it worked for me. It was actually the best bit of kit I could use, as once I began I could refer to it and have a consistent guide at all times. The best example of how it worked, I think would be if, Robbie and Rune were walking with lets say Maggs. (For those of you who have no idea who these people are, Shame on you, read the book.) I knew instantly that Robbie was the tallest and would look right down at Maggs the shortest by some considerable inches, yet his eyes would just move down to talk to Rune who was over his shoulder height but not as tall as him. complex I know but it works for me and allowed the descriptive writing to feel more real, well it did to me.

Once the writing began I had a perfect image guide so at least the writing was consistent, something I felt was important. I had an idea of the characters as people, and from that I could guess what in the real world, such and such a friend of mine may have done in that situation, and so I began to throw together a mix of people I had known, people I still knew, and also being the author, and without realising, large chunks of who I am as a person blended together into each of my main characters. It felt very organic and as the writing progressed the characters for me took on a life of their own and began to evolve into those we all meet in the first book.

I now have reached a point where the individual characters have taken on a life of their own, and as strange as it might sound, (Please don’t call the doctor yet) I can imagine each character as a person and see them in my mind as I write. Its like my subconscious has drawn the pictures for me as more and more detail has been added, so when I look at the screen and wander off into whatever hypnotic state I go to as I concentrate, there in my mind are the pictures running almost like film and playing me the scenario of the book. I have got it so down to a tee, that I can now just write what I see.

I bet you wish you had never asked now. Hey look on the bright side I am never lonely, I have a book full of characters all talking at once. (Gives giggle) I think the important thing about this, is it is an aid that has helped me, and I think it has worked because when I do talk to those who have read the book, it is one of the first things they have mentioned, apart from Harry of course, and that is still a stranger thing still.

Harry for those of you have not read the book yet can only be described as Harryish. He is a character I added to create a little humor and to break the tension at times so that I could then strike without warning and surprise the reader who had let down their guard as they giggled or smiled at Harry. He was never meant to survive book one, but very quickly I realised as I let a few people read the first drafts, that Harry had become an element of focus for most of those reading. I have to confess, that even I am amazed at how well loved he has become, I honestly never saw it coming. I will not spoil it for those who have yet to meet good old Uncle Harry, but it is a surprising reaction for even myself to comprehend, and in a way I am delighted that the efforts I put in in the early days have created a very recognisable character.

Today I continue to write the series and my characters have increased and they are all still growing as real people would, I can only hope that you will all feel so involved with them, that you would wish to follow their development and walk besides them for a while longer. I will leave you all to ponder my sanity, and think about my methods with a very simple but for myself a wonderful compliment written by my youngest brother in a revue he put on my Facebook page without my knowledge. I will add I seldom see him, which made this a greater compliment, he wrote. “You didn’t read what was happening, you lived what was happening.”

I think he used better words than I to describe it, so I thank him for the very wonderful compliment, all writers want what is read to feel very much alive, for him it did and that is enough for me.